Carrots ‘N’ Cake Master Your Macros Challenge

Simply put, “macros” are macronutrients – the protein, carbohydrates, and fats that we obtain calories from. Here’s some additional information that sums them up nicely.

What is tracking macros all about?

Tracking macros (and flexible dieting) really isn’t a diet. It’s more of a lifestyle that considers your caloric needs with an appropriate range of macronutrients in mind. It’s a very flexible way of eating that gives you all sorts of awesome food freedom in your diet, but it’s not eating whatever you want all the time. Rather, it’s a way to incorporate foods into your diet that will allow you to maintain a healthy lifestyle without missing out on the foods you love. At the end of the day, tracking macros is all about making you aware of your food choices and helping you to make smarter ones based on what you are consuming daily.

Who are macros for?

Macros can be useful to almost anyone! They are a great educational tool to gain a better understanding of what you are consuming and how those choices make you feel, perform, and reach certain body composition goals. Macros are truly for anyone seeking to optimize their health through nutrition – simply by learning to balance their meals (and macro choices) for their individualized needs.

I’m vegetarian. Will macros work for me?

Absolutely! You don’t need to follow a specific diet to track macros. You can be vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, AIP, low-carb, etc., and macros will still work for you. Working with a nutrition coach will teach you what you need to do to meet your goals, so you can go off on your own and track like a champ!

What can I expect from my coach?

Your coach is an educational resource, accountability partner, and cheerleader, who walks you through the process of learning to track your macros. Your coach will provide guidance related to tracking challenges, social events, and other situations that you may encounter. Additionally, they’ll check-in regularly with you and give you feedback on your tracking in MyFitneesPal. Both you and your coach will work together to figure out what habits work best for your lifestyle while customizing your macro goals and supporting you every step of the way.

Will my coach tell me what to eat?

Through working with many clients over the years, we learned that just telling you what to eat isn’t effective or realistic in the long-term. Instead, we want to empower, educate, and guide you to make choices that work for you on your own. From a coaching standpoint, this includes sending you weekly recipes to help inspire your meal planning, making food swap suggestions, and finding macro-friendly foods to fit within your personal goals.

Do you do regular check-ins with clients?

Yes, we do twice weekly check-ins (sometimes more often depending on the client) via WhatsApp, a free voice messaging app. It’s a great way to really get to know clients and their challenges. Plus, it’s so much easier to chat things out and brainstorm ideas when you have questions or concerns. Clients also have the opportunity to send along screenshots of their tracking in MyFitnessPal for feedback.

What app to clients use to track their macros?

Our clients use MyFitnessPal. Once you fill out our intake questionnaire, your coach will calculate your macro goals for both workout and rest days. You will then enter them into MyFitnessPal and keep track on your own – kind of like points in Weight Watchers, but your tracking protein, carbs, and fat grams.

How do you figure out my macros? 

We have a handy calculation tool that takes into account your weight, body fat percentage, activity level, exercise type, occupation, body type, and more as a starting point for working together. At the end of the day, it’s just a calculation of your energy needs, so there’s a lot of back-and-forth in the coaching relationship to figure out the right ratio for you. Your coach will make adjustments to your macros as needed. In addition to fat loss goals, we also consider energy levels, workouts, sleep, stress, and other related lifestyle factors when working with our clients.

Do I need to “hit my macros” everyday for them to work?

The closer the better, but no. Personally, I don’t think I’ve ever “hit my macros” on the dot! 🙂 Macros are not the be-all, end-all of nutrition. Really, they’re just a tool for helping you make informed decisions about what’s right for you. The last thing I want to happen is having a client become obsessed with the numbers. Macros are simply a tool to help you be successful. There’s a lot of other “stuff” that goes into weight loss, which is why we are such huge proponents of 1-on-1 coaching.